Top stop for slide fasteners



March 11, 1950 c. D. GOULD 01 TOP STOP FOR SLIDE FASTENERS Filed Dec. 7, 1944 Paiented Mar. 21, 1950 TOP s'ror FOR suns FASTENERS Clarence D. Gould, Bronx, N. Y., minor to Talon, Inc., a corporation of Pennsylvania Application December 7, 1944, Serial No. 567,089

2 Claims. (Oi. 24405.11)

This invention relates to slide fasteners and. particularly. to an improved bridge type top stop therefor.

In the application of slide fasteners to dress plackets. handbags, and other articles wherein both ends of the closure opening are permanently closed. the upper ends of the fastener stringers are oftentimes provided with an interconnecting member more commonly known as a bridge top stop secured between the adjacent edges of the stringer tapes or opening. It is desirable that such a top stop member not only maintain the adjacent stringer tape edges a predetermined distance apart on that side of the stop adjacent the slider so as to prevent the endmost fastener olements and top stop from binding inside the slider, but also that such a top stop hold the edges of the stringer and the material bordering the opening. neatly and closely together on the side of the stop opposite that from the slider.

Various types of bridge top stops have been heretofore suggested and used but most of these have not been entirely satisfactory. Some of these stops were secured to the stringer tapes by gripping merely the beaded edges thereof and would tend to out the beaded edges and eventually would become disengaged therefrom. Other top stops had channel portions which were compressed on or around the beaded edges in frictional engagement and if the stringers were subjected to a relatively strong lateral force adjacent the stop, the beaded edges would oftentimes become displaced from the channel-gripping portions of the stop. Also, some of these stops were expensive and difficult not only to fabricate. but also to attach to the stringer tapes. Others were bulky and did not present a neat appearance and interfered with providing a neat application of the fastener.

Accordingly, it is one of the objects of the present invention to provide an improved bridge top stop which is simple and inexpensive in its construction and application to the stringer tape and,

at the same time. one which is effective and efllcient in its use.

It is another object of the invention to provide an improved bridge top stop which not only firmly grips the beaded edges of the stringer tapes. but. in addition, securely grips portions of the tapes directly next to the beaded edges, thereby eliminating any danger of the stop becoming displaced either along or from the stringers.

It is a further object of this invention to provide an improved bridge top stop which conforms substantially to the upper end or neck portion of the slider with which it cooperates, so as to provide a full and neat closure of the fastener.

It is still another object of the present invention to provide an improved bridge top stop which holds the fastener stringers a predetermined distance apart on that side of the stop adjacent the slider so as to prevent sticking of the slider at the end of the opening and at the same time. holds the edges of the stringers closely together on the side of the stop opposite that from the slider.

Various other objects and advantages of this invention will be more apparent in the course of the following specification. and will be particularly pointed out in the appended claims.

In the accompanying drawings. there is shown for the purpose of illustration. one embodiment which my inventionmay assume in practice.

In these drawings:

Figure 1 is a plan view of a slide fastener having the improved top stop of my invention incorporated therewith:

Fig. 2 is a side view of the upper portion of the fastener shown in Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a sectional view taken on line 3-4 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 4 is a sectional view taken on line 4-4 of Fig. 1:

Fig. 5 is a perspective view of my improved top stop showing the form it assumes as initially attached to the fastener stringers; and

Fig. 6 is a similar perspective view showing the form my top stop assumes after final attachment to the fastener stringers.

The improved bridge top stop 8 of my invention is shown incorporated with a conventional slide fastener comprising a series of spaced apart cooperating interlocking fastener elements 2. attached to the opposed beaded edges 3 of a pair of stringer tapes 4. There is arranged oh the fastenor elements. a slider 5 for longitudinal movement therealong in opposite directions to open and close the fastener in a well-known manner. Such a slider consists generally of spaced upper and lower wings having inwardly extending side flange portions and connected at one end by a'neck portion 8 so as to provide substantially a Y-shaped channeled body member. There is carried by the top wing of the slider. a lug l to which a pull member I is pivotally attached for manipulating the-slider.

The top stop of the present invention as more clearly shown in Figs. 5 and 6 of the drawings, comprises an elongated, flat, rigid body member preferably having an arcuated or upwardly arched central portion 9 with a reversely arcuated substantially 0-shaped end portion l0 arranged to either side thereof integral therewith so as to provide a yoke-like member. This top stop body member is formed preferably from a relatively thin piece of flat metallic stock but it will be understood that the stop may be made from any other suitable material such as a plastic material. if desired. Each end portion I0 is bifurcated with the bifurcations extending from the central poraccrues tion of the body member to the extremities of the end portions so as to provide a slot 2 therein defined by finger-like Jaw portions it. These fingerlike Jaw portions It, may be spread or bent apart from each other a sufllcient distance for receiving the beaded edge portions of the stringer tapes. The end portions ID are bent reversely from the arcuated central portion 9 so as to be substantially U -shaped, as shown in Fig. 5, and the broken lines of Fig. 1 of the drawings, with the extreme ends M disposed substantially parallel to each other.

In applying the top stop to the fastener stringers, it is positioned transversely between the opposed beaded edges 3 of the tapes 4, at a point immediately beyond the uppermost fastener elements 2, as shown in Fig. 1. The beaded edges the stop is mounted on the stringers in such a manner, it will be seen that the extreme ends ll are spaced from the beaded edges on the inner sides thereof, as shown in the broken lines After the top stop has been positioned on the fastener stringers in such a manner, the fingerlike jaw portions I3 are compressed toward each other so that the beaded edges 3 of the tapes are securely gripped thereby. The extreme ends I of each of the end portions ID are then bent or forced inwardly toward each other. and the longitudinal center line of the fastener until these extreme ends engage the beaded edges 3 on opposite sides of the respective tapes. Upon further bending of these extreme ends, it will be seen that the opposed beaded edges will be moved toward each other until they are relatively close together or abutting each other, as shown in the 7 full lines of Fig. 1. After the extreme ends II have been bent to their final position, it will be seen that each of the end portions II amume substantially a C-shape. If desired, the fingerlike jaw portions 13 can then be further compressed so as not only to clamp the beaded edges 3, but also to grip those portions of the stringer tapes immediately next to the beaded edges. After the extreme ends of the stop have been bent or forced to their final position as above described, it will be seen that the beaded edges 3 of the stringers are not only gripped by the force exerted between the finger-like jaw portions ii in a plane perpendicular to the plane of the tapes, but in addition, are firmly clamped between the extreme ends I and the arcuated central portion 9 in a plane parallel to the tapes, as clearly shown in Fig. 1 of the drawings.

After the top stop of the present invention, has been applied to the fastener stringers as above described, it will be seen that the arcuated central portion 9 spaces the opposed beaded edges 3 together with the fastener elements 2 on that side of the stop adjacent the slider, a distance apart substantially equal to the width of the neck portion 6, or the distance between the diverging channels of the slider 5, whereby sticking of the endmost fastener elements or the top stop in the slider when it is moved to its uppermost position, as shown in the broken lines of Fig. 1, is eliminated. However, on that side of the stop opposite the slider, it will be noted that the beaded edges 3 are held by the extreme ends ll relatively close together so as to eliminate any gap beyond the stop. It will be seen that the central portion 8 of the stop is arcuated or upwardly arched so as to conform to thencek portion 8 and the upper end of the slider, thereby permitting full closure of the slider when it is moved to its fully closed position. It is. o,f course, desirable that the top stop be no wider than the width of the fastener elements 2 so that no portion thereof will extend either above or below the plane along the outer surfaces thereof, so as to eliminate any danger of the stop being fouled.

As a result of my invention, it will be seen that there is provided a bridge top stop wherein only the thickness of the metallic stock or material from which the stop is fabricated, is visible, thereby eliminating any bulky appearance. By

the use of such a stop, it will be seen that an extremely neat and enhanced application of the fastener to the particular article or garment, can be obtained.

While I have shown and described one embodiment which my invention may assume in practice, it will be understood that this embodiment is merely for the purpose of illustration and description, and that various other forms may be devised within the scope of my invention, as defined in the appended claims.

What I claim as my invention is:

l. A bridge top stop for slide fasteners of the class described having a pair of stringer tapes with a series of interlocking fastener elements arranged along the opposed edges thereof and a slider movable longitudinally therealong for engaging and disengaging the same consisting of a single piece of sheet metal having an arcuated central portion conforming to the upper end of said slider and disposed between the stringers so as to space the edges of the stringer tapes apart on that side of the stop adjacent the slider, and a reversely bent end portion arranged to either side of said central portion with each of said end portions being bifurcated so as to grip the opposed edges of said stringer tapes beyond the series of fastener elements, the extreme endsof each of said end portions extending upwardly and inwardly toward each other so as to grip and hold firmly the opposed edges of said stringer tapes relatively close together on the side of the stop opposite that from said slider, said central portion conforming 3'0 the upper contour of the slider so as to fit substantially around the upper end thereof when the slider is disposed in its closed position whereby a full and complete closure of the fastener is obtained.

2. A bridge top stop for slide fasteners, as defined in claim 1, wherein each of the reversely bent end portions is substantially C-shaped and bifurcated from the central portion to their extremities so as to provide finger-like jaws to grip firmly the opposed edges of the stringer tapes.

CLARENCE D. GOULD.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Voity Nov. 4, 1941 

